Overview

Christianity arose in the Roman Empire after the death of Jesus of Nazareth to become one the major world religions. Missionaries such as Paul of Tarsus (10-61 A.D.) would spread this new belief system throughout the Roman world. The success of this spiritual enterprise was the result of two major factors. By A.D. 35 a growing number of people within the empire were searching for an alternative to their outdated and corrupt religious and philosophical systems. Christianity would provide a universal alternative to this Roman malaise. The success of this new value system was also based upon the superiority of Roman technology that had created the greatest system of roads in the classical world. These ancient avenues provided the first Christian missionaries with easy access to the hearts and minds...